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Statement re: Corporate Accountability’s Hall of Shame

The activist organization Corporate Accountability International’s Hall of Shame lists a number of false allegations about The Coca-Cola Company. We hope you will spend some time navigating this website to learn the facts about our workplace practices in Colombia, our environmental stewardship in India and our socially responsible business practices all over the world.

Because an allegation is repeated over and over again does not make it true. Such is the case with the information listed about our company within the CAI Hall of Shame. The allegations that the Coca-Cola bottlers in Colombia have been complicit in violence against union members are false. In India, the claims regarding groundwater depletion and pesticides are false.

Although these allegations and others listed in CAI’s Hall of Shame are untrue, we are committed to continually improving our labor practices and our environmental management. To that end, we have asked the United Nation’s International Labor Organization (ILO) to assess the Coca-Cola system’s labor relations practices in Colombia . We’ve also asked The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) to conduct an independent assessment of our water resource management in India . As much as we aim to be respected by everyone, everywhere, a company with The Coca-Cola Company’s global presence is never going to be without critics. However, as a 120-year-old company, The Coca-Cola Company is a resilient enterprise. Part of that resiliency comes from the ability to take criticism, whether it is unfair and requires rebuttal or whether it is constructive and requires thoughtful response and real change. Listening to and engaging with our critics is central to the sustained success of our company and our ability to continue to contribute to society. We have changed business practices in response to concerns. One example is joining with others in our industry in the United States to change practices relating to marketing beverages in schools. Another is establishing our supplier guiding principles to ensure that the companies supplying us with goods and services adhere to the same recognized workplace standards that we require of ourselves. We have engaged on multiple occasions with Corporate Accountability International (CAI) to try to understand and address their concerns, and we are committed to continuing that engagement in the future. It is a privilege to own some of the world’s most well-known brands and with that privilege comes a responsibility to listen to our critics and to continually improve our performance in all areas. For more information about our citizenship initiatives all over the world please visit:
http://www.theCoca-Colacompany.com/citizenship/index.html .